Ghaziabad: Search on for two after car with family of seven plunges into Upper Ganga Canal

While four members were rescued soon after the incident, the police and divers from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were still trying to recover a 47-year-old man and his four-year-old granddaughter who are missing

The police, NDRF divers and private divers have all been roped in for rescue efforts, but they have not been able to locate the missing persons in the canal.(Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

A car with seven members of a family who were travelling from Modi Nagar to their home in Loni hit the cemented road barricades near the Upper Ganga Canal (UGC) and plunged in on Wednesday night.

While four members were rescued soon after the incident, the police and divers from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were still trying to recover a 47-year-old man and his four-year-old granddaughter who are missing.

One of the rescued family members, a young woman, succumbed late Wednesday night.

The car was driven by Shaan Mohammad, 28. He along with his three-year-old daughter Juni, sister Farheen and mother Rukhsana, were rescued by the NDRF team.

Shaan’s father Haji Raees and his daughter Zoya, 4, are yet to be traced.

“The police, NDRF divers, boats and private divers have all been roped in but they have not been able to locate the missing persons in the canal. The water flow is heavy and we are trying our best to trace them,” said Satendra Kumar Rai, station house officer, Niwari police station.

Twenty-three-year-old Shaheen, mother of Zoya and Juni, who got trapped inside the car when it plunged into the canal, died at the hospital on Wednesday.

The family members of the victims said the seven members had gone to meet relatives in Modi Nagar and followed the canal route to Loni.

“Shaan, Farheen, Juni and Rukhsana were thrown out of the car as the doors opened when the car slipped from the road and went into the canal. They suffered fracture injuries and are still recuperating. Shaheen could not survive despite being rushed to the hospital. The Wagon-R was new — it was purchased just 15 days ago — on the insistence of Shaan,” said Mohammad Gayas, cousin of Haji Raees.

He said when Shaan gained consciousness, he told his relatives that a biker was speeding ahead of their car swerving left and right.

“Shaan applied brakes when he saw a truck approaching from the opposite side and tried to save the biker. But the car lost its balance and plunged more than 25 feet into the canal. He suffered injuries to his spine while the other survivors suffered fractures. Only Juni survived with minor bruises but she is in a state of shock,” said Sohrab Gayas, Shaan’s cousin.

The damaged car was fished out by the police while the policemen also used ropes from nearby electricity installations to help them dive into the river to save the family.

“The flow of water is heavy. The ropes were tied from one end to the other and then we went in. This was how we initially carried out the rescue till the fire department and mechanical cranes arrived. We tried our best to save Shaheen but she died,” Rai said.